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Swann's Way
Swann's Way

Chapter II

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Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."
The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.
Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.
She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.
But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Swann's Way

Chapter II

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."
Line 2
The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.
Line 3
Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.
Line 4
She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.
Line 5
But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Above preposition US /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading “The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.”

Ancient adjective US /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/

Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.

From this reading “She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.”

Anything pronoun US /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading “"My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."”

Choose noun US /choose/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “"My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.”

Fitted adjective US /ˈfɪtɪd/

prepared and equipped for a particular purpose

From this reading “Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.”

Make noun US /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.”

Mind noun US /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.”

Myself pronoun US /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading “"My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.”

All words in this reading · 122

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

aesthetic

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

allow

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

ancientadjectiveUS /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/

Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.

From this reading She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

antiques

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

any

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

armchair

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

barren

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

beautiful

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.

bestowed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

buildings

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

buying

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

called

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

child

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

choosenounUS /choose/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

common

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

days

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

dear

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

derived

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

desuetude

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

effaced

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

elsewhere

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

EvennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

find

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

fittedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪtɪd/

prepared and equipped for a particular purpose

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

give

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

instruct

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

intellectual

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

kind

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

liked

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.

lives

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

makenounUS /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

Mamma

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.

mechanical

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

men

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

mindnounUS /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

moment

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

nature

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

other

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From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

own

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From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

photographs

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From this reading She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.

photography

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From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

picture

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From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

places

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From this reading She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.

pleasures

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From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

present

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From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

profit

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From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

prominent

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From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

purchase

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From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

rather

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From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

reproduction

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From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

requirements

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From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She would have liked me to have in my room photographs of ancient buildings or of beautiful places.

said

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From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

satisfaction

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From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

seek

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From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

semblance

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From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

serve

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

some

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From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

subject

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From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

table-silver

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

teaching

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From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

things

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

too

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

truth

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

up

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

useful

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

utility

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

value

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

vulgarity

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But at the moment of buying them, and for all that the subject of the picture had an aesthetic value of its own, she would find that vulgarity and utility had too prominent a part in them, through the mechanical nature of their reproduction by photography.

walking-stick

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

wealth

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

well

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

worldly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The truth was that she could never make up her mind to purchase anything from which no intellectual profit was to be derived, and, above all, that profit which good things bestowed on us by teaching us to seek our pleasures elsewhere than in the barren satisfaction of worldly wealth.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Even when she had to make some one a present of the kind called 'useful,' when she had to give an armchair or some table-silver or a walking-stick, she would choose 'antiques,' as though their long desuetude had effaced from them any semblance of utility and fitted them rather to instruct us in the lives of the men of other days than to serve the common requirements of our own.

written

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "My dear," she had said to Mamma, "I could not allow myself to give the child anything that was not well written."